


Cenotaph Andante

by monstertots, QueenOfTheNerdlords



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Ghosts, Human Rin, Implied Rape/Non-con, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Rin has a lot of problems, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, Yukio and Rin aren't related by blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-25 13:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6197095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstertots/pseuds/monstertots, https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfTheNerdlords/pseuds/QueenOfTheNerdlords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin never asked to be the child of a notorious murderer, he never asked for these strange new powers, and he certainly never asked for one of his father's victims to haunt the house he's staying in. Even though he never asked for these things, he still received them. And well... in this situation, all you can really do is make the most of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The house was old and dilapidated, dust covering every crevice. Antiques and old paintings littered the place, and there was broken glass in every single room. Rin wondered if it even had electricity. It was uncomfortable, and it probably wasn't even fit to live in, but beggars couldn't be choosers. This house was all he had left. It was the only place he could go, and it was one last gift from the old man. That alone made Rin very hesitant to dismiss it, even if it was a crappy excuse for a home.

With the help of Yukio, Rin had managed to purchase a mattress and a few other necessities before he was sent on his way. Even though Rin knew Yukio blamed him for everything, he was thankful for that, at least.

There was a lot of conflict between the two brothers, ever since Shiro was murdered. Yukio would rarely speak to him, and usually wouldn't even look at him. Rin knew that Yukio placed the blame entirely on him, and even though he knew it was wrong of him, he had accepted Yukio's blame. Although it hurt, Rin still wished his brother would forgive him. He wanted Yukio to be there for him, and he wanted to be there for Yukio, but he knew that even if the animosity between them magically disappeared, Yukio still had a life of his own. Yukio had a busy job, a wife to please, and a child on the way. He couldn't afford to take care of Rin anymore, and he understood completely.

After all, it would only put his family in danger if he were to live with them...

Rin studied the old house as he carried the bags of soap and food upstairs. There were many old portraits, most of which were cut or burned, pieces of dusty broken furniture, and the torn walls were decorated with a nice floral pattern that would actually look gorgeous if restored. All in all, it looked like a bunch of old people lived here, which makes sense since this house was pretty far from the cities. Rin wondered that if they had, what had happened to them? Why is this old house so beat up?

Maybe they were victims just like him?

His thoughts quickly turned unpleasant, so Rin just focused on hauling everything upstairs.

It wasn't a strain on him. And for some reason, even the mattress was light and easy to carry. Sometime this month, Rin had noticed that he had became very strong. Inhumanly strong almost. It had worried him for a while, but he decided that worrying about it was a waste of time. Especially if his newfound strength could save his life one day.

It was raining outside, and luckily the roof was still doing it's job, so there were no leaks. But it was already too late seeing as Rin was already soaking wet from the rain. And since it was dusty inside, his white shirt was almost entirely brown. But, he didn't care. He flung himself down onto the mattress.

He was tired and emotionally exhausted. He could have been laying on mud for all he cared.

It was like nothing really mattered anymore.

And in a way, none of it did. No matter what he did, no matter what he tried to do, he ended up being seen as a criminal, like his father. No matter how much good he did, it was never enough. He'd always screw it up.

Even now, people still thought that he had helped murder Father Fujimoto.

Rin clenched his fists and hissed.

Ah yes, the whole reason Rin had to hide here.

Shortly after Rin and Yukio had found Shiro's corpse, Rin was taken in for investigation. They had proved him innocent, but many people were still furious at him because of a crime he didn't commit. He was a pariah. No one would look at him, no one would talk to him, and almost all of the stores refused to take money from him. He could hear their whispers everywhere he went, and it made him feel sick.

Even with his strength and will to survive, all it would take was a few angry people to end his life. And even then, nobody (except maybe Yukio) would care. Why was it so hard to believe that he was nothing like his biological father?

Oh yes, he knew all about his "father". Even though Rin knew absolutely nothing about his birth mother, there was no way he couldn't know about his biological father.

The notorious Satan, known for the countless murders of innocent people. To be honest, he was a mystery to most people. The police were never able to catch Satan, despite him leaving behind his signature mark on his victims' bodies. The way it looked, it seemed like it was magic. But either way, there were mixed opinions on who Satan really was. Some said that he was part of the Yakuza. Others believed he was an assassin who killed these people for money. And others thought that he might be a demon sent from hell to terrorize mankind. Rin thought it was all bullshit, but he held his tongue. After all, people would think that _he_ knew how Satan actually killed when he knew nothing of the sort.

In fact, it was highly believed that Satan had been looking for him when he had murdered Shiro. Which was why Rin had to hide out here.

Rin refused to think of the topic any longer, so he tried to focus on something else.

The room where he was sleeping in was on the top floor, and there was a huge circular window in the middle of one of the walls. If you looked out of it, you could see the front lawn, which was overgrown and dying by now. But, Rin supposed this house and the area around it must have looked pretty at one point. 

Rin tried to imagine how this house must have looked when it's old owners were living in it, and smiled. 

 _"They must be rolling in their graves by now."_ He thought somberly, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to sleep.

It was uncomfortable and cold in the building, but for now it would do. Rin knew he'd have to fix a few things around the house, but he didn't mind that. In fact, he looked forward to the work, even if it would be a little bit boring it would take his mind off of current events.

Even after an hour, Rin was still not able to go to sleep. 

He sighed, and flung off the small blanket that was covering him. He reached towards one of the bags he had brought upstairs and fished around for a manga he had brought with him, but in the corner of his eye, he spotted something. Or rather... someone.

When he turned his head, he saw a man with black hair and an eyepatch covering his right eye. He wore a long, black, button-up coat that reached his knees, and he had an intimidating presence. The kind that made you respect a person but fear them at the same time.

Rin didn't know what this stranger was here for, or why the stranger was just staring out the window, but he felt uneasy having this weirdo around. But... maybe this person was homeless and he had been staying here before Rin had? The man didn't look homeless to him, but he figured you couldn't just judge people by their appearances. So, he decided to talk to the man and see if he could convince him to let him stay here.

Rin put his manga aside.

"Hey!" He called out, trying to catch the man's attention. The man just kept staring out the window.

Rin tried again, this time he called out louder, his annoyance seeping into his words. "Hey you! Do you live here?"

The man turned around to face Rin, a surprised expression on his face. Rin beamed nervously at the stranger and held out a hand. 

"My name's Okumura Rin, it's nice to-"

Without warning, the man lunged at Rin with a feral roar, seizing Rin's throat and gripping it with both hands. The man's face twisted with fury, and his grip tightened with every second. 

"What are... you doing?!" Rin managed to choke out, stunned and horrified by the sudden attack. 

The man's grip only tightened as he lifted Rin up.

Rin tried to kick the man with all of his strength, but his legs just went right through him. His eyes widened as he realized that fact, and he struggled even more, desperately trying to free himself from the man's strong grip.

 _"Oh god, oh god, oh god,"_ Rin thought, his mind growing hazy. He couldn't die now, he couldn't die like this!

" _Pl- ease..._ " Rin managed to choke out. " _Do- n't wanna... die, pl- ease._ "

The man's eyes narrowed even further, but his grip didn't relent. Instead, the man spoke.

"I won't kill you... even though I really should." The man hissed, hatred seeping through every word. "Get out of this house, and never come back. And if you return, I will end your miserable life."

Rin nodded as best as he could, but he was already feeling lightheaded. Rin's sight was fading, and for a moment, he thought he heard Shiro's voice calling out to him.

He felt the man drop him on the floor, but everything had already faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

Rin awoke to the faint call of a few birds.

He noticed that his body was soaking wet and cold, his neck hurt like hell, and there was something on his arm. He flung himself up swiftly, flinging whatever was on his arm off somewhere else.

He was sitting on top of the mattress, but he was no longer inside the house. Instead, he was outside with the cold, damp, air surrounding him. Someone had seemingly dragged all of his stuff, including Rin himself, out of the house and thrown them out into the lawn haphazardly. 

Rin let out a loud growl out of annoyance, and got up from the soaking wet mattress. He then began to pick up the water-damaged items and place them back in the wet plastic bags, grumbling to himself while he did so. To his chagrin, he noticed that the manga books he had brought along were absolutely destroyed and the dry food he had was thoroughly soaked.

Rin was absolutely furious.

He let out a frustrated yell when he was done, putting the bags off into a corner of the house underneath a sort of roof where they could hopefully dry.

But even then, Rin couldn't get rid of his anger.

He didn't even know what he was angry about, but he felt enraged nonetheless. He wanted to punch something, he wanted to break something, but he was sensible enough not to do that. There were some trees around. He could hit those maybe, but they'd probably end up breaking his hand.

So instead, Rin settled for pacing around the front yard to let off some steam. 

When he calmed down, he let out a long-suffering sigh and sat on his now ruined mattress.

"Great. Now I'm going to die of hypothermia and all of my stuff's ruined..." He muttered to himself, putting a hand through his wet hair. "And I can't even remember why the hell I'm out here!"

He covered his face with his hands and he racked his brain, trying to remember what the hell happened last night. He concentrated for a while, trying to remember _anything_ about last night to help him understand what had happened. It suddenly hit him when he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

He recalled seeing a homeless man stare out the front window and then suddenly, without any warning, the man attacked him.

He couldn't remember what the man had said, but he remembered the man's last few words with definite clarity.

**_"Get out of this house, and never come back. And if you return, I will end your miserable life."_ **

Rin jumped at the memory, a shiver going down his spine.

He remembered _exactly_ what happened now. 

The homeless man tried to attack him... and then let him go.

_But... wait, was he even a man? Like, a human man?_

When Rin had tried to kick him, his legs just went straight through the man's body, as if he were made of thin air. The kick should have knocked the breath out of the man, yet the grip on his neck felt so real, so painful, and so human, that Rin didn't know what to think.

He swallowed, sending a sharp pain down his throat in the process.

He contemplated taking a bus back to Osaka to tell Yukio about it, but Rin knew that Yukio wouldn't take it well at all and would probably send Rin back to the house without listening to a word Rin had to say. And honestly, Rin couldn't blame him. After all, the whole story sounded ridiculous even to himself and Yukio would most likely think that Rin was just being picky about the house. Rin didn't like to admit it, but he would have to deal with this on his own.

He had to communicate with that spirit thing first before he tried going back in the house.

So, Rin walked up to the front door and knocked on it. 

_Nobody answered._

Obviously, this was going to get him nowhere, but he still had to try.

He knocked again.

Again, nobody answered.

He knocked.

Still, nobody answered.

Rin sighed and closed his eyes.

This wasn't going to work, and even if it did, who's to say that the man wouldn't attack him again? What was stopping him, honestly? How would Rin know that he would keep his word? Maybe the Maybe the 'bus back to Osaka' idea would actually be worth a shot...

But before Rin could turn to walk away, the door violently flung open.

Right before his very eyes was the same man from last night. The man seemed furious and Rin couldn't blame him, but he was furious too and he refused to give up on his life now. He would not let some dickish stranger just walk all over him before knowing what he had even done to deserve such hate.

No, Rin wanted answers, and he would get them one way or another.

The man seemed like he was about to attack him, hands extended to strangle him, but then his eyes widened in surprise, as if he were just seeing Rin for the first time.

But as quickly as the reaction came, it went just as fast and a cold demeanor returned to the man.

"I thought you said you _didn't_ want to die." The man sneered, clenching his fists in what seemed to be frustration. " _Why_ are you still here? Are you an idiot, or were you lying when you said you didn't want to die?"

Rin's temper flared, but he tried to keep it cool. He didn't want a repeat of yesterday's events, but it was so hard not to start yelling at the jackass who had previously tried to kill him. Rin trembled in fury and he pointed a finger at the man.

"I am _not_ an idiot." Rin hissed, his hand shaking. "I-"

 _"Could have fooled me."_ The man said coldly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

Rin gaped.

Words failed him.

This man didn't even _know_ him, didn't even know _why_ he was here, didn't even know why he _needed_ to be here, and yet he judged him as if he knew every single thing about him?

How _dare_ he?

Rin's whole body tensed and he very desperately wanted to try to fight the man again, but then took a deep breath and exhaled. He knew this would get him nowhere.

"I need to talk to you." Rin said as cooly as possible. "To arrange some... things."

The man let out a short laugh, mocking in its tone. 

" _Hah_! As if I'd negotiate with a killer's son!" The man scoffed, folding his arms. "You must be dumber than I thought to actually try to do _this_."

Rin blinked in surprise. Even this man knew about his lineage? Surprise was quickly replaced by fury as Rin tried in vain to keep himself calm.

"I am **_not_** stupid!" Rin said, his voice rising dangerously. "And I am _nothing_ like that bastard!"

"You're lying." The man hissed, jabbing one finger at Rin's chest. "You're just like him, I can tell. The apple never falls far from the tree. And if you think I'm dumb enough to let you use my house for your evil deeds, _then you're dead wrong_. You're a vile carbon copy, and I would never let a **monster** like you desecrate my home. Now g-"

Rin suddenly lunged at the man at an inhuman speed, tackling him to the ground. The man was taken by surprise at this and unlike last time, where Rin's legs phased through him, this time the man was unable to move at all, seemingly solid.

"Go _where_?" He growled, his face close to the man's. "I have nowhere I _can_ go. I can't get a job, I don't have the money for a house, or even an apartment, and now the one person who's always supported me, and cared for me, is _**dead**_ because my biological father is a _shithead_ who kills people! He's _dead_ and it's my fault because apparently _I'm_ the one he was looking for!"

The man just stared at Rin, probably too stunned by the sudden contact to try struggling.

"You say these things about me, but you don't even fucking _know_ me!" Rin continued, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "None of you assholes _ever_ try to know me. All you know is my father, and then you all blame me for his crimes and I'm so fucking  **sick** of it!"

Rin's grip lessened on the man, but the man still didn't even attempt to get free.

"I'm a failiure, I can't do anything right, I'm a screw-up, but don't you ever compare me to that sick fuck! _I don't care who you are, or what you are_ , but you have no fucking right to say anything about me like that! You had no right to attack me last night, either! _I don't care_ how much you hate Satan! I don't care at all! _I haven't done anything to deserve it and_   _I just want to live my own goddamn life!_ "

By this time, Rin was breathing heavily and his throat hurt from the damage the man had done and the stress he had put on it, but he didn't care. He had said what he needed to say, and he felt immensely better for it. Rin, suddenly uncomfortable at the position he was in, then quickly got up off of the man, trying to catch his breath.

He tried to choke out a sudden apology for hurting the man, but then he noticed tears were rapidly rolling down his now flushed cheeks.

" _Damn it_ ," he muttered angrily, quickly wiping away the tears and turning away from the man. 

With a shocked expression frozen onto his face, the man slowly got up and walked closer to Rin.

" _Are you gonna kill me now?_ " Rin hissed, still wiping away the tears. "Would it make you happy? Would it make you all happy if I just died? I don't even care anymore, I don't even know if I want to keep living like _this_. So you'd be doing both of us a _favor_."

The man sighed tiredly. "...I don't kill kids. Especially not stupidly suicidal ones."

Rin quickly turned around to face the man, his anger rising again.

"Hey, I'm nineteen!" Rin yelled indignantly. "And if you don't kill "kids", then what the hell was wrong with you last night?!"

The man sighed again and looked at Rin, slight hints of shame coloring his features. "I thought you were Satan when I first saw you. I... don't have very good eyesight or hearing, so it was easy to mistake you for him. I wasn't lying when I said you were a carbon copy."

Rin's temper flared again, but he reigned it in just in time to realize something.

"...Wait, you met Satan?" Rin asked, his anger disappearing in a flash. "Like... _met_ , met? But... But how did you even survive?"

The man chuckled, but it wasn't really a happy sound.  "I didn't."

Rin paused. "But... then does that mean-"

"Yes." The man interrupted. "I am not alive anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUUN DUUUN DAAAAAAAHHH!!! Oh who am I kidding, you all knew that was coming. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite it being a bit short. Next chapter we have awkward talks, a bit of salt coming from both Igor and Rin, and some explanations and clarifications! 
> 
> Also, if there's something you'd like to see in the fic, feel free to give suggestions! I may have this planned out, but there's a bit of room to put stuff in!


	3. Chapter 3

Rin stood there for a minute, disbelief clear on his face.

Rin had expected something strange, but this was way too far-fetched than he had first believed. _"This can't be real, right?"_ Rin thought. _"This **has** to be a joke."_ But the man's solemn expression said otherwise.

"Y-You're not... alive?" Rin eventually said, gaping widely at the man. "You're a... _ghost_?"

The man sighed and nodded. He seemed to be a bit exasperated with Rin but he didn't snap at him. After a while, he just gruffly replied with, "It's rude to stare at someone like that y'know. You should close your mouth too, otherwise bugs'll fly into it."

"But wait, how the hell is that even possible?!" Rin fearfully cried, ignoring the man's blatant jests. "Ghosts aren't even supposed to be real, aren't they?!"

The man sighed again, shaking his head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know." He said sincerely with his eyes closed, trying to keep his composure. "I don't know why I'm still here or if there's anywhere for me to go. But it doesn't matter whether or not I know or if you understand because I am here now. And nothing that either of us says can change that fact. So you can believe me if you want, but I don't care what you think either way."  

The man turned his back to Rin, and started walking inside the house.

Rin was too shocked to move at the moment. 

"I'm going back into the house," The man turned back to look at Rin, an unfamiliar emotion flickering across his face. "You are allowed to come in and we can discuss some things, or you can forget about this place entirely. I don't care what you do, but you should probably choose soon. It'll only get colder out there."

Rin hesitated.

What good would come from this? He didn't even know the man's intentions.  

Rin took a deep breath. No, nothing good would come from this, but he at least had to try. He then decided to follow the man into the house. After all, what else could he do? He couldn't really turn down the house, not after spending so much of Shiro's money on the property. And going back to Yukio was out of the question. So, Rin decided to negotiate with the spirit.

When he got inside the house, the man was already sitting on a broken green sofa in the living room. It didn't look comfortable to sit on, but it probably wouldn't affect the man, seeing as he was dead and all. The man seemed to be staring into space, not noticing Rin's presence until Rin got close enough to him.

"Ah," The man said, turning his head to face him. "So you didn't run away."

Rin scoffed and crossed his arms. "As if a ghost would be enough to scare me out of shelter. As I said, this is the only place I can stay."

The man let out a displeased hum, narrowing his eyes.

"You mentioned that your father, Satan, was the reason you needed to hide here." The man said, suspicion in his hard, cold, gaze. "Why is that?"

Rin let out a sigh, and looked down to the floor.

"Well, I don't know." Rin said, his blue eyes darkening. "I did do some things I'm not proud of, and I have fought a lot of people. But I've never murdered anyone or done anything more than give someone a black eye! I may be a delinquent, but I'm no murderer. And it's also rumored that Satan has many children, so I'm not entirely sure why he's trying to specifically hunt me down if he's just trying to get me to join his side or whatever... I just don't know."

Rin's shoulders were tense and his face showed he was confused. The two stayed silent for a while. But the man was about to say something when Rin spoke up again.

"But just so you know, I could never join him." Rin spat coldly, clenching his fists tightly. "Satan killed someone I loved, and he's a threat to someone precious to me. If he ever shows his face to me, I'll have no problem kicking the crap outta him. I don't care how strong he could be. Someday, when I get back onto my feet, I'm going to find Satan, kick his ass, and have him locked up until he **dies**! I promise you that."

The man was stunned to say the least. He hadn't expected an outburst like that from the teen, and he certainly didn't expect him to be so passionate in his hate for Satan. But one thing was clear, this boy was obviously not one of Satan's minions.

And, despite the boy's lineage, the man had a feeling he could trust him.

Of course, some part of his mind was screaming at him to kick the boy out, but he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he followed through with that. He was already feeling guilty about assaulting the boy last night, and he didn't know what he would do if he just sent the boy to his death. He had always had a soft spot for troubled kids, and even though the man knew he would regret it, he decided to see this through. He would help the boy, even if it meant just letting him stay.

The man stood up, bowed, and then held out a hand.

"My name is Igor Neuhaus. We have yet to discuss living arrangements and information of one another, but I figured that you should at least know my name before all of that."

Rin was hesitant at first, not knowing what the hand gesture meant, but then when he figured it out, Rin gave him a small, but genuine, smile, and carefully shook the man's hand. Now that Rin was paying attention to the man, he noticed that when he shook hands with Igor, it felt as if his hand was made of some cold unknown solid material. It felt strange, but Rin didn't comment on it out loud.

"I'm Okumura Rin." He said simply, not wanting to over complicate anything.

When both of them let go of each other's hands, Igor sat back down on the couch and patted the seat beside him. Rin hesitantly sat down on the couch, expecting it to collapse, but being surprised and relieved when it didn't.

"Now, Okumura-san," Igor said, facing Rin with a serious expression. "I don't mind you living here, not anymore, but I would like you to know something. I will not require rent from you, seeing as I have no need for money and you most likely do not have a job, but I would like you to do something for me."

Rin nodded, as if he was saying 'go on.'

Igor's expression grew more grave and almost wistful at this.

"This... This house was my home once. I have many memories of it, and I am not ready to let go of it. I am not happy with it, but you can do whatever you like with the rest of the house. Just don't ever mess with my old bedroom. If you do, I will know, and I will kick you out of this house. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand completely." Rin replied, a serious expression on his face. "But are you sure that's all you want me to do?"

"That is all I would like from you." Igor responded, his expression less serious, and more relieved. 

Igor stood up from the couch, and looked down at Rin. "I assume that you must be very cold and wet from the rain. I apologize for leaving you and your things out there, it was very immature and irrational of me. Please, wait for one moment."

Igor then disappeared, slightly startling Rin, but in a minute or two, Rin saw Igor walking down the stairs with a bundle of clothes in his hands. He then set the bundle on the dusty coffee table in front of the sofa. When Rin took a closer look at the clothes, he noted that they seemed a bit too big, and they seemed very dusty, but Rin wasn't about to pass up dry clothes.

"Here, you can borrow my clothes until yours have dried." Igor said, his tone stern but somewhat gentle. "And I will try to make sure that the rest of your items are dried, but if you really need something to be replaced, just tell me. And if you need me for anything, just call my name. I will be able to hear you."

"Thanks," Rin murmured, unsure of how to respond to the older man's sudden kindness. "I'm kinda tired, so I think I'll take a nap or something, if you're okay with that."

Igor nodded, confirming he was alright with that, and then he disappeared again, obviously wanting to give the boy some privacy.

Rin didn't dawdle and began to strip off his soggy clothes, each article of clothing taking a while to get off. Then, when all of the soggy clothes were off, he put on the dusty dry ones. The bundle included a white button-up shirt,  They weren't exactly as comfortable as the clothes he had brought with him, but it was nice to be dry again.

Carefully, Rin laid himself down on the old couch, still afraid it would collapse, and then closed his eyes. But still, his mind wouldn't stop racing.

 _"Why was that guy so nice to me?"_ Rin thought. _"What the hell happened? And why does he suddenly just accept me living in his house?!"_

His mind went in circles, trying to figure out the answers to many questions.

Eventually, his mind slowed down and Rin fell into a calm, but dreamless, sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I lied. There wasn't much salt in this chapter, but I've got a vision in mind now. Of course, there will be a lot of fluff and exposition, but this isn't just a story-less fic. I've got a plot in mind, and I intend to use it! So you can expect some bonding moments, some backstories, and some characters being introduced within the next couple of chapters!
> 
> If you liked this chapter, leave a kudos or a review! If you didn't, tell me what was wrong with it or what you'd like to see more of in the future. Either way, feedback is appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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